What do you say to gems like, “But humans have to eat meat to survive,” or, “Animals in laboratories are protected by law”? Don’t get defensive or huffy—set ’em straight with these zingers.

“Humans can’t survive without eating meat.”

“Actually, it’s the other way around! Studies have shown that vegetarians have stronger immune systems than meat-eaters and that meat-eaters are almost twice as likely to die of heart disease, 40% more likely to die of cancer, and 30% more likely to die of other diseases. Not only that, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the American Dietetic Association both endorse vegetarianism.”

“It’s impossible to completely avoid causing animal suffering, so what’s the point in trying?”

“Just because you might accidentally hit someone with your car is no reason to run someone over on purpose! We should always try to avoid unnecessary harm.”

“Animals aren’t as smart as humans.”

“If finding someone smart or attractive were a requirement for not hurting them, some people would be in a lot of trouble!”

“What about plants?”

“Plants don’t have central nervous systems, nerve endings, or brains, and scientists believe that they do not experience pain. Furthermore, being uncertain about plants’ ability to suffer doesn’t justify causing pain to animals like dogs, cows, rats, or chickens, who we know are capable of suffering a great deal.”

“Animals eat other animals, so why shouldn’t humans?”

“Most animals who kill for food couldn’t survive if they didn’t. We can take care of ourselves without killing animals. Many other animals are vegetarians, including some of our closest primate relatives. Why don’t we look to them as our example instead of to carnivores?”

“You can be a vegetarian if you want to, but animal rights activists shouldn’t tell others what to do.”

“Actions that harm others are everyone’s business. Murder, child abuse, and cruelty to animals are all matters of public concern. Our society now encourages meat-eating and factory farming, but history shows that society also once encouraged slavery, child labor, and many other practices now recognized as wrong.”

“If you were on a desert island with no food, would you kill and eat animals?”

“Who knows? Humans go to all sorts of extremes in emergency situations, even eating other humans! Right now, in our day-to-day lives, there’s no emergency. We don’t need to harm animals in order to feed, clothe, or educate ourselves. We can make compassionate decisions and live and let live.”

“If we didn’t use animals, we would have to test new drugs on people.”

“That’s like saying, ‘You can only get there by driving,’ when you can get there by walking, flying, riding a bike, taking a train, or rollerskating. Human clinical and epidemiological studies, cadavers, and computer simulators are faster, more reliable, less expensive, and more humane than animal tests. That’s why more and more doctors and scientists are switching to them and leaving animals alone. Besides, because of the differences between humans and other animals, there’s no guarantee that drugs are safe just because they’ve been tested on animals, leaving us vulnerable to drugs that can have serious side effects.”

TIPS: • Be pleasant, positive, and confident. Remember, you’re right. • Use personal anecdotes or recount video scenes to paint a picture of animal suffering. • Let the other person know that you understand him or her. Maybe you used to eat animals or wondered how we’d replace animal experiments—let him or her know that, as well as how you changed. • Offer more information—for example, PETA’s Web site www.peta-online.org.